Rhode Island Hookah Bar to Remain Closed After Fatal Shooting

Published May 19, 2015 at 2:41 PM | Updated at 2:41 PM EDT on May 19, 2015

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Providence's Board of Licenses has unanimously voted to keep a city hookah bar closed following a fatal shooting there.

The Providence Journal reports that the board decided Monday to keep Pasha Hookah Bar closed at least until Wednesday. The bar was closed for a 72-hour "cooling off period" after 22-year-old Kevin Mann Jr. died and 32-year-old Aaron Smith was injured in a shooting outside the establishment just after midnight Friday.

Lawyers for the bar suggested it be reopened Monday, but the board disagreed.

Attorney Peter Petrarca, who represents the bar, says the board's decision has already been appealed to the Department of Business Regulation.

Residents say the bar has been a nuisance for several years.

The board has scheduled another meeting on the bar's license for Wednesday afternoon.